The late broadcast journalist David Brinkley once observed: "Objectivity is impossible to normal human behavior. Rather, we should strive for fairness."
Fairness is at the heart of the ongoing shakeup at CBS News, and especially at the legendary 60 Minutes. Since television is a business that requires high ratings and credibility to attract advertisers and make money, it is more important what viewers think about a program than what those producing it think about themselves.
Correspondent Scott Pelley violated a cardinal principle, not just in journalism, but in any job. He bit the hand that had been feeding him. In a staff meeting, Pelley reportedly excoriated management for having the temerity to shake up the news division, which Bari Weiss, the new editor-in-chief, was hired to do.
Reading an interview Pelley did for The New York Times after his firing reveals the attitude of many journalists at the top of the profession. Pelley thinks it's all about him, not the audience. It appears he believes his decades at the network entitle him to stay on until he expires or resigns. I have been fired—or my shows canceled—from NBC, CNBC, and Fox News. I didn't complain. In fact, on my final Fox show, I said: "It's their network; they can do as they please."
What has become collectively known as "the media" are selling what much of the public isn't buying. Public trust and confidence in the mass media to report the news fully, accurately, and fairly is at a record low. Gallup's polling reveals Americans' trust in the media has fallen from a relatively high of 68 percent in 1972 to today's record low of 28 percent, the first time it has gone below 30 percent. Until Bari Weiss was hired, networks ignored this trend.
The 2022 American Journalist Study, a survey of U.S. journalists, found that about 36 percent of journalists identified as Democrats, compared to just 3.4 percent who identified as Republicans. A plurality of journalists—nearly 52 percent—identified as Independents. No one will convince me that one's political worldview doesn't influence which stories are covered (and which are ignored) and how they are reported. I have spent many years in newsrooms and at journalist gatherings. It has been my experience that most people claiming the title of "journalist" are liberal Democrats who have a secular-progressive worldview.
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The conservative Media Research Center (MRC.org) has compiled some examples of Scott Pelley's biased reporting, including this gem: "It's too soon to tell how serious President Trump is in defiance of the Constitution. In his first 28 days, he signed an order to nullify birthright citizenship for some—a right guaranteed by the 14th Amendment. And he has closed agencies and frozen spending that Congress mandated by law" (February 16, 2025). A balanced report might have mentioned that while the goal of the 14th Amendment was primarily to protect formerly enslaved people after the Civil War, it was written to apply to all Americans. The Trump administration, however, has challenged the constitutionality of birthright citizenship. The Supreme Court is expected to decide shortly whether Trump or the Constitution has the final say.
Here's another Pelleyism: "Joe Biden is among the longest-serving politicians in Washington. If there is less bounce in the step than there once was, if the words don't flow like they used to, maybe there's something to be said for know-how, five decades on the Hill and in the Oval. ... You have lived a long life of triumph and tragedy. In November, you'll be 80. And I wonder what it is that keeps you in the arena" (September 18, 2022).
This at a time when it was becoming increasingly evident to many—except perhaps Jill Biden, Kamala Harris, and others who didn't want people to believe what they saw and heard—that the president had lost more than a step.
Maybe Bari Weiss can make changes that will draw more viewers and improve credibility at CBS News. If she succeeds, will ABC and NBC follow her example?
Readers may email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com. Look for Cal Thomas' latest book, "A Watchman in the Night: What I've Seen Over 50 Years Reporting on America" (HumanixBooks).
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